


(1970, Pride)

by VenezuelanWriter



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: 1970s, Bonding, Canon Compliant, Ficlet, Friendship, Gen, Pride, Queer Friendly, Queer History, Queerplatonic Relationships, Team Bonding, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-31 02:17:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10889619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VenezuelanWriter/pseuds/VenezuelanWriter
Summary: The Legends successfully took the fragment of the Spear from the ‘70. It was damn June 26 and they were in New Jersey, why couldn’t they actually go to NYC and wait around two more days to go to Pride?





	(1970, Pride)

 

“I love the 70s,” Mick said, unstrapping and getting up his travel seat. “Everyone was a hippie and I was still a little pipsqueak running around playing with matches.”

Ray frowned.

“How old were you in the 70?”

Mick smirked.

“One.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Martin muttered.

“We should totally go to pride,” Sarah said, turning around in the captain chair.

“That would be really fun,” Ray replied cheerfully.

“It’s an important year for American history,” Nate pointed out, also unstrapping from his seat and following the team to the main console. “The Beatles breakup, Apollo 13 was launched, everyone’s crazy in love with M*A*S*H…”

“Please don’t forget the Patton film,” Martin said.

“And Nixon ordered a secret invasion of Cambodia,” Jax added. Sarah and Ray gave him funny looks. “What? I liked history in high school.”

“It’s pretty sad The Beatles just lasted a decade,” Ray said.

“What are The Beatles?” Amaya asked.

“The Beatles are the most influential music group of all American history to this date. And by that, I mean 2017,” Nate answered, smiling kindly.

Sarah shrugged. “It’s kinda sad. They had potential.”

“But don’t forget without the breakup, _Imagine_ wouldn’t exist,” Ray said.

“That’s a song one of the members — John Lennon— released on his solo career. Another hymn of music,” Nate clarified Amaya.

She nodded in understanding at him.

“I love _Imagine,_ ” Ray continued.

Sara intervened to focus her crew’s attention back on the mission.

“Gideon, do you have the Spear’s current exact location?”

*

They successfully took the fragment of the Spear —Mick insisted that it was stealing, which he loved a little too much— and since it was damn June 26 and they were in New Jersey, why couldn’t they actually go to NYC and wait around two more days to go to Pride?

The whole team went to the march. Even Mick, who wasn’t convinced about being surrounded by 70’s queers and Amaya, that had been somewhat afraid of not being ready to be ‘chill’, in Nate’s words, around that people.

Women wore long skirts of all sorts: zipped-up, strapped or wrapped to one side and a few ones were buttoned down the front. The colors and patterns were varied too and they combined perfectly with the whole colorful thematic of the event.

Accesories, hell, it was either because it was a pride march or because of the decade but people were more dressed in necklaces and bracelets than in actual clothes. And by the way, who figured chokers weren’t a 2016 trend after all?

Boots were definitely a thing, too, and between all of that and ponchos, the team was accurately dressed for the occasion.

There were people of all ages, but mostly young people in their twenties to thirties. Some teenagers who were probably  sneaked out from their homes and some older adults as well were part of the frame and complemented the diversity on it. Some people were by themselves, just carrying signs or walking down, others were in couples —hand-holdings, hugs, kisses, so much love to see— and others were in group of friends, like them.

There was music playing on some big black speakers in a truck a few feet ahead of them, and even some people on the streets applauding the parade.

“There still isn’t a Pride flag, but the colors have always been there,” Sara commented, noticing the current symbol of the community wasn't displaying anywhere.

“It was invented in 1978 by Gilbert Baker. And it’s not called Pride yet,” Nate answered. Amaya was walking besides him and they were holding hands.

“What is it called like?” Sara asked, low-key surprised Nate knew more about the subject than herself. She’d never been a digger, anyway.

“Christopher Street Liberation Day,” Martin said.

It was Jax’s turn to look at him with an incredulous look.

“I was alive in this time, Jefferson. Stop looking so surprised,” Martin said.

Jax smirked and continued to look around. There were lots of signals with quotes from Let It Be and the phrase ‘Gay is Good’.

“That’s a long-ass name,” Mick unexpectedly said, sipping from his beer. The best thing of all this? There was alcohol solds in every corner.

They didn’t even know he was listening. It must have been the most entertaining thing to do for him at the moment.

“Why that name?” Amaya asked Nate.

“Because last year,” Nate explained, “on this day, there were a series of manifestations by the community on Christopher Street. It was called the Stonewall Riots and it covered the 51 blocks to Central Park.”

“What’s with the ‘Gay is Good’? There are lots of banners saying that,” Jax questioned.

“Frank Kameny,” Nate once again answered, “this pioneer in defending gay rights, created that slogan two years ago because anti LGBT discourse wanted to make believe homosexuality was related with mental illness.”

“That’s terribly awful,” Ray commented. He’d been carefully listening to the conversation not being able to participate himself. It was simply overwhelming to be in such an important event of history and he was fairly distracted by that fact. The positive energy, the freedom the people were expressing so openly, it was beautiful.

“The slogan was meant to empower the queer,” Sara said, her voice thoughtful and her look inspiring. “Let them know they shouldn’t feel guilt or shame for being who they are.”

“The term ‘Queer’,” Nate said, “was actually first used to refer to gays in the 19 hundreds, and it was in a negative fashion for a lot of time. It's not until another decade from now that the LGBT community starts reclaiming the word for its inclusiveness. In fact, it's still a divisive concept in 2017.”

“I didn’t know you could be a nerd about this, too,” Mick told him.

Nate just shrugged and smiled softly. He actually loved being a nerd. And by being there, in a march of people wanting to be able to show their true selves, even the simple thought of feeling proud of his nerdiness made him shiver.

Their conversation kept going as they marched down the streets. Ray commented how scary he thought the high leather boots were, Amaya shared with them how happy everyone looked and how comfortable that made her feel, Jax agreed with her about the familiar sensation of being there even when he wasn’t a part of the community; Mick commented sporadically but always getting a smile from at least one of them.

Martin told them about a trans nephew of his, who would surely cherish to be there, and Sara confessed that that was actually her first Pride march. She’d never had time to take her orientation that way —not when she’d been fully immersed in Nanda Parbat and the only related thing to the issue was the existence and interaction she got with Nyssa Al Ghul.

The march took less than half the scheduled time, which Nate explained had been because of the participant’s excitement, but also because of their wariness about walking through the city with gay banners and signs.

They arrived to Polk Street and stayed for the small "gay-in" that took place in Golden Gate Park. Onlookers had respected the event fairly enough and oh, if only those people knew how better things would be in the future. They didn’t even dream of the representation they would have on media (even when it still needed perfectioning) and much less about being able to marry whoever they loved.

At the gay-in, for the sake of ‘meddling in’ and also because everyone’s spirit was contagious, Sarah took Amaya’s free hand in hers. After that initiative, Ray hung his arm around Nate’s shoulders and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Amaya smiled at the gesture and Nate just giggled.

Jax mirrored Ray and wrapped a hand around Martin’s arm.

“Jefferso-”

“C’mon, Gray, don’t deny this is great. We should stop looking like scary straight people.”

Martin’s lips quirked up at the answer and didn’t complain any longer.

Mick just rolled his eyes, annoyance written all over his face. Ray noticed and went to stand by him. If anyone could look like a scary straight person, it would definitely be him.

Mick noticed Ray’s awkward approaching and sighed. He didn’t feel like he had to pretend around him anymore.

“Leonard would love to be here. He was all an enthusiast of defending minorities. The unlucky ones,” he said with sad eyes. “Now stop pitying me, Haircut,” he barked.

“I'm not pitying you,” Ray immediately replied. “I just think the least you could do to honor his memory is to look less creepy around these people.”

Mick looked between Ray and what was left of his beer, bottoming it up. He strongly and surprisingly hung his arm around Ray’s neck.

“I guess you’re right, Haircut,” he said. “I guess you’re right.”

Ray’s eyes widened but he still played along.

Sara witnessed Mick’s unusual behavior and smiled to herself. Going to Pride had never been on her plans as Captain of the Waverider but it had been obviously good for the team, almost like one of those cheesy and mostly ineffective school camps to make classes bond together.

Apparently, she’d have to schedule more of this adventures in the future.

 


End file.
